Pattycakes Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 can Walgreens rapid test be used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 Yes. I’ve used a Walgreens rapid antigen test to cruise three times since September. Wanderlust876 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderlust876 Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 1 hour ago, teddy said: Yes. I’ve used a Walgreens rapid antigen test to cruise three times since September. Thanks for confirming. Their site says PCR not Antigen but when you look at booking the rapid tests at a pharmacy chain, they usually say rapid antigen. Really makes it confusing for people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 9 hours ago, Wanderlust876 said: Thanks for confirming. Their site says PCR not Antigen but when you look at booking the rapid tests at a pharmacy chain, they usually say rapid antigen. Really makes it confusing for people! I use CVS for my tests. Some CVS locations offer the option of getting a rapid antigen or a PCR test. Some offer only one test or the other. For cruising, I only need a rapid antigen and I get my results about an hour or two after the test. For my outpatient surgery, I was required to get a PCR test. Those results came back the next day because they have to send that nose-swipe to a lab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkelBierJay Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 I haven't checked the cost difference, but the ones Royal sells came within about four days and was pretty easy. Kayleigh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/if-need-an-rt-pcr-test-before-i-cruise-where-should-i-go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 1 hour ago, DunkelBierJay said: I haven't checked the cost difference, but the ones Royal sells came within about four days and was easy pretty easy. You're not wrong. It's easier and you're also not potentially exposing yourself to Covid by going to a pharmacy where others are there to get a test likely not because they're going on a cruise. EmptyNestTravels, VirtKitty and SPS 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 We've been using the home/proctored ones as backups for drive through testing at CVS and Walgreens. Up here, we swab ourselves in our vehicle while the person at the window watches, so very minimal exposure. We've never had to pay for either testing at either chain. I agree that the home ones make things simple, but out of the four we've opened, two had problems....in one, the solution bottle was empty, and in the other, literally all that was in the package was the solution bottle. In both cases, we were able to get replacements shipped to us, but not in time for the cruises we were going on.....and that's how we learned to buy the six pack of tests for the two of us. VirtKitty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 CVS test is free & done through the drive up. Works for me! VirtKitty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen2 Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 CVS in our area: go in your automobile, wait in your car, masked/gloved attendant hands you the swab. No interaction with potentially sick persons. Results electronically between 15 minutes to an hour. Electronic form printable and accepted by cruise line (or use on your phone at terminal). Appointment required. Pooch and VirtKitty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkelBierJay Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 2 hours ago, Matt said: You're not wrong. It's easier and you're also not potentially exposing yourself to Covid by going to a pharmacy where others are there to get a test likely not because they're going on a cruise. Ha! I've had covid a couple of times along with my household, despite doing all the things, so at this point, I don't care anymore...I'm just really lazy, and going a mile to Walgreen's sounds like torture to me..... Matt, Pooch and Swar 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrznTxn Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 17 hours ago, Pattycakes said: can Walgreens rapid test be used If you mean the purchase in the store and use on your own, no. If you mean the scheduled drive-up test with you or them swabbing your nose and them running the test and giving you a written or email result, yes. Royal DOES NOT accept self administered off-the-shelf tests. teddy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 @MattJust came from a CVS testing site that I've not used before. They had a slightly larger than "telephone booth size" room with it's own door separated by a whole involved plexiglass system from the test taker who had her own door to her own "telephone booth size room". Everything was passed through a small hole she could open. Very unusual. No one else allowed in that room (not that they could fit). the other CVS site I used was for travel only people, that one would not allow sick people in. Everyone wears a mask. Well organized. The CVS sites were better than some urgent cares I used to go to when exposed to Covid-where they had numerous people in a waiting room and no real cleaning between who sat there. I saw the blog where you mentioned "free". Just an FYI, the CVS questionnaire has changed and no longer asks if its for travel, despite it being under that heading. If you do not answer yes to any of their 10 questions you get a message that the test will cost $139 out of pocket (because if you answer no to all their questions, it means you are using it for travel). Simple yes to "ive been around people" -which we all are! means it is a covered test. I have the at-home proctored tests but I am "saving them" for when my daughter (college) needs to test to cruise as she has no test site convenient to her. Also saving in case horrific weather prevents me from getting out to test, or as I saw a few months ago, where some test sites were cancelling testers last minute due to whatever issue the site was having. It's nice insurance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fa-li Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 2 hours ago, Pattycruise said: @MattJust came from a CVS testing site that I've not used before. They had a slightly larger than "telephone booth size" room with it's own door separated by a whole involved plexiglass system from the test taker who had her own door to her own "telephone booth size room". Everything was passed through a small hole she could open. Very unusual. No one else allowed in that room (not that they could fit). the other CVS site I used was for travel only people, that one would not allow sick people in. Everyone wears a mask. Well organized. The CVS sites were better than some urgent cares I used to go to when exposed to Covid-where they had numerous people in a waiting room and no real cleaning between who sat there. I saw the blog where you mentioned "free". Just an FYI, the CVS questionnaire has changed and no longer asks if its for travel, despite it being under that heading. If you do not answer yes to any of their 10 questions you get a message that the test will cost $139 out of pocket (because if you answer no to all their questions, it means you are using it for travel). Simple yes to "ive been around people" -which we all are! means it is a covered test. I have the at-home proctored tests but I am "saving them" for when my daughter (college) needs to test to cruise as she has no test site convenient to her. Also saving in case horrific weather prevents me from getting out to test, or as I saw a few months ago, where some test sites were cancelling testers last minute due to whatever issue the site was having. It's nice insurance! Thank you for sharing this - you've answered the question I got on to ask. I just tried to mock-book a CVS test to see if they'd be easy to schedule in my area, and was surprised to get the "do no qualify" message. I was wondering if it was ok to be a little flexible in my answers! We've at-home tested as precaution before being around our IC daughter, and found that we are true butter fingers with that dropper. Turns out it is indeed possible to flood the test strip lol. I think for us, it will be worth the hassle to have a test done by someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 As I’ve said earlier, I think most rational people can answer yes to concern about high transmission and difficulty social distancing and be telling the truth. VirtKitty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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